Eleo blinked as the purple flames of the portal vanished behind them.
The air felt thicker, buzzing with energy—like the static before a thunderstorm but... friendlier somehow.
He took one step forward and his ears perked straight up.
The ground was soft—like walking on memory foam and moss combined. The grass beneath him shimmered in tones of indigo and dark blue, with specks of bioluminescent pink pulsing in rhythm with some invisible heartbeat.
Above, the sky was nothing like Earth's. It was a deep velvet black, crisscrossed with glowing rivers of light—streams of golden energy that flowed through the heavens like upside-down waterfalls. Instead of a sun or moon, massive floating cubes of light drifted across the sky, rotating slowly and humming like distant lullabies.
In the distance, floating islands hovered lazily in the air. Some were jagged and mountainous, spewing waterfalls of liquid crystal that fell upward into the sky. Others held entire cities shaped like coiled horns, buildings stacked in impossible gravity-defying spirals. A giant koi fish with flaming wings swam through the air above one of them, leaving a glittery trail.
Strange trees grew nearby—tall and willowy with glowing silver leaves, their roots floating a few inches above the ground. One tree even yawned and shifted its branches like arms stretching after a nap.
There were creatures, too. A three-tailed fox made of mist watched them from a hillside. A tiny floating jellyfish with a monocle waved politely before zipping away, making a sound like a kazoo.
Eleo stood there with his jaw hanging open.
Lilith stepped beside him, arms crossed smugly. "Welcome to the Demon World, Eleo."
His ears twitched. "This place… it's beautiful. And terrifying. But mostly beautiful. No, wait—mostly terrifying. No—wait—"
"It's both," she said with a smirk. "You'll get used to it."
Eleo turned in a slow circle, eyes wide. "Is that a flying snake with a crown?"
"Yes."
"Are those floating mushrooms singing barbershop quartet music?"
"Yes."
Eleo grinned. "Lilith. I LOVE this place."
She raised a brow. "Really?"
"Yeah! It's like a fever dream mixed with a dessert buffet mixed with someone else's weird imagination!" He dropped to his knees and hugged the soft glowing grass. "I wanna live here. I wanna build a pillow fort here and never leave."
Lilith tilted her head, half amused, half exasperated. "Don't get too excited. The Demon World has rules—and not all of them make sense."
"Perfect!" Eleo popped back up. "Neither do I!"
A small breeze blew by, and from it emerged a floating carriage made entirely of bones and mirrors, pulled by two enormous beetles with stars for eyes. A demon driver in a top hat doffed his cap.
"Lilith of House Virellia," the driver said, voice crackling like old vinyl, "your escort to the palace awaits."
Lilith nodded. "Thank you." Then glanced at Eleo. "You coming, or are you gonna keep sniffing the grass like a weirdo?"
"I think the grass just winked at me."
"ELEO."
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!"
He ran up and jumped into the carriage, planting himself dramatically on the plush violet seats. The inside smelled faintly of cinnamon, old books, and storm clouds.
Lilith sat across from him, elegant and poised.
Eleo looked out the window as the carriage began to float, gliding over a lavender lake filled with glowing lotus beasts and humming islands.
"I gotta ask," he said, eyes full of wonder, "is the Demon World always like this?"
Lilith rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the other window. "No. Sometimes it's weirder."
The carriage sped up—toward a city of spiraling obsidian towers shaped like fangs and feathers.
Eleo grinned like a kid at a candy planet.
"This. Is. AWESOME."
As the carriage glided across the twilight sky of the Demon World, its glowing wheels spinning silently beneath them, the landscape rolled out below like a surreal painting—twisted towers of crystal, floating islands tangled with dark vines, and glowing rivers that pulsed with eerie, violet light. The wind hummed low through the open windows, carrying with it the faint scent of burnt sugar and iron.
Eleo leaned his arms on the windowsill, ears flicking in the breeze, then turned to Lilith, his voice casual but curious.
"So, Lilith… why'd you want me to come to this demon party? I mean, you probably had a ton of other people you could've asked, right?"
Lilith, who had been staring out at the spires in the distance, blinked and looked away quickly. A blush touched her pale cheeks as she crossed her arms tighter.
"Well, uh… you did save me," she muttered, eyes flicking to the floor. "And… you're kind of my only friend. Besides Iron."
Eleo perked up. "Iron! Oh, yeah! I remember him. He's your knight, right?"
"Yes, yes," she said quickly, brushing a loose silver strand behind her ear. "He's still around. He's… been helping me with the interrogation. The demon we captured."
Eleo tilted his head. "Oh yeah, I remember him too. That weird demon demon I beat up."
Lilith sighed, clearly trying not to smirk. "That's the one. We've been at it for days now… and he finally cracked."
Eleo's eyes widened with excitement. He scooted closer. "Wait—you know who sent him!?"
She glanced at him, lips twitching slightly. "I do."
"Tell me tell me tell me!"
"Mmm…" She leaned back against the velvet seat, tilting her head. "I could…"
Eleo practically vibrated. "Please?!"
Lilith looked at him, her voice soft but firm. "No."
"What?! Why not?!"
"Because you'll blurt it out. Or do something impulsive. Or stare at them with that weird guilty face of yours. And then they'll know you know, and then I'll be back on someone's hit list. Again."
Eleo immediately threw his hands over his mouth and shook his head furiously. "Mmm-mm! I promise! I'll keep it shut!"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "You're literally making noise right now with your mouth shut."
He nodded, eyes huge with pleading.
She sighed, then gently reached over and patted him on the head. "No, no, Eleo. Just… trust me on this one."
Before he could pout more, she grabbed him gently and pulled him onto her lap.
"Wha—wait, what're you—huh?"
"Relax," she said, brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder. "I need something else to keep your mouth busy. So. Tell me what you've been doing."
Eleo blinked, then smiled wide.
"Oh! Okay! So—I kinda stole the mayor's ship. His name's Hunk. He's huge. Anyway, I 'borrowed' it. Then I beat up a giant plant monster—well, kind of. Then I fought a yeti until I knocked him into the ground."
Lilith raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, but listening.
"Oh—and then I met Agharna! He's like, the strongest bear in all of World One. But I did beat his ass! And I got a team! We're going to World 2 soon. Gonna find the strongest guy and fight him. Eventually."
Lilith looked at him in silence for a few seconds. Her lips curved—not into a smirk, but something softer.
"That's… very interesting, Eleo," she said quietly, brushing his his face.
He grinned up at her, beaming.
"And honestly," she added, voice lower, "that's… impressive."
Eleo blinked.
"Wait… are you… proud of me?"
Lilith flinched slightly, cheeks warming again. She looked away fast.
"D-Don't make it weird. I'm just… surprised you haven't exploded yet."
"You care," he said with a little smirk.
"I don't," she muttered, arms crossing again. "You're just… less annoying than usual today."
Eleo laughed, curling up slightly in her lap, ears twitching happily.
Lilith glanced down at him, eyes softening just a little more.
She didn't say anything else.
But she didn't push him off, either.